Suburban Poverty and the Health Care Safety Net

Examines trends in the number of suburban poor, their access to health care, and efforts to improve safety-net services in the suburbs of five cities. Explores causes of limited safety net capacity, community strategies, and policy implications

The Role of Acculturation Differences and Acculturation Conflict in Latino Family Mental Health

In order to help address the mental health disparities that exist for Latino families in the U.S., the current study sought to examine the acculturation–mental health link within the context of Latino families and to identify potential mechanisms for intervention to alleviate mental health problems in this population. Specifically, our goal was to examine how parent–adolescent acculturation differences were related to mental health in Latino adolescents and their parents and to understand the role of acculturation conflict and family functioning within Latino families. Participants included 84 adolescent–parent dyads recruited through bilingual middle schools. We found partial support for our hypothesis that family functioning mediates the relationship between acculturation differences and mental health outcomes for Latino parents. Additionally, we found partial support for our moderated mediation hypothesis; specifically, a significant conditional indirect effect was found for Latino cognitive acculturation differences on adolescent externalizing problems via family functioning at high levels of acculturation conflict. Exploratory analyses also indicated that acculturation conflict moderates the relationship between family functioning and externalizing problems for Latino adolescents. Results highlight the importance of understanding acculturation within the context of Latino families, as findings differed for adolescents and their parents. Additionally, findings suggest that differences in acculturation may not always be problematic and their impact likely depends on how families interpret such differences

Public Health Workforce Shortages Imperil Nation's Health

Examines from a community-based perspective the scope of the shortages in the public health workforce; contributing factors such as inadequate funding, salaries, and benefits; and strategies for training, recruiting, and retaining public health workers

Massachusetts Health Reform: High Costs and Expanding Expectations May Weaken Employer Support

Examines how, as a result of the state's health reform, improved access to the individual insurance market and increased employer responsibility may reduce employers' motivation and ability to provide coverage. Considers implications

Reflections on Riparianism

The solution to the water problem must involve one or more of several limited alternatives. We must either: (1) develop new sources of water; (2) reduce our per capita water use; (3) stop our population growth; or (4) use our present supply of water more efficiently. Any solution will draw heavily upon science and technology. Through them we will learn to remove the salt from ocean water, to purify polluted waters, to distribute water economically over great distances, and to reduce the waste and even the use of water. It is clear that the law will create no new water. But it may either act as a positive force to bring about a more beneficial use of the existing water supply or it may block progress and hinder development of more beneficial uses and thereby contribute to the waste of this vital resource. It has been charged that the existing water law in the Eastern States, the doctrine of riparian rights, not only falls short of being optimum but is actively harmful because it prevents the full beneficial use of water. To what extent are these charges true